Admiral Mayo to Admiral Fletcher, and transmitted by Fletcher to Washington:
"This forenoon Mexican soldiers arrested paymaster and whale boat's crew of Dolphin, part of whom were in boat with flag flying, marched them two blocks through streets, then back to boat, and there released them. General Zaragoza expressed regret verbally. In view of publicity of event I have called for formal disavowal and apology (and) punishment of officer in charge of Mexican squad, and salute to American flag within 24 hours from 6 p. m. Thursday."
Tampico was under siege by the Constitutionalist forces at the time, and warnings had been issued prohibiting landings at the particular dock at which the Americans were arrested.
Very well, we shot up Vera Cruz. Carranza protested, and President Wilson replied to him as follows:
"The feelings and intentions of the government in this matter. . . are based upon. . . a profound interest in the re-establishment of their (the Mexicans') constitutional system."
The President's various answers as to why we shot up Vera Cruz do not agree with one another.
Nor do any of those answers agree with the action that the President proceeded to take, unless you except the single sentence: "We seek to maintain the dignity and authority of the United States."
For the President voiced no more demands that the flag be saluted. The flag was never saluted. Nor did he make any other demands upon Huerta to obtain from him "the fullest recognition of the rights and dignity of the United States" as a substitute for a salute to the flag.
Evidently the President forgot the flag incident on the very day of the attack. There are other reasons for the suspicion that he never considered it in any other light than as a subterfuge. One of them appears in the Message urging upon Congress the repeal of the Canal Tolls Exemption Law, one month and four days before the flag incident:
"I shall not know how to deal with other matters of even greater delicacy and nearer consequence if you do not grant it to me in ungrudging measure."
President Wilson never took Congress or the public into his confidence as to the meaning of this sentence. Instead, he begged that he be not required to explain. Has any other plausible ex-
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